Automatic pumping system



Oct. 22, 1957 F. F. MacWlLLlAMS 2,810,350

' AUTOMATIC- PUMPING SYSTEM Filed May 51. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fa El 4 IIOIIIT I INVENTOR. /7-ea FMacifillims,

ATTGW F. F. MaCWlLLlAMS AUTOMATIC PUMPING SYSTEM Oct. 22, 1957 Filed May 31. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. fled A Mach ilm United States Patent AUTOMATIC PUMPING SYSTEM Fred F. MacWilliams, Johnstown, Pm, assignor to Flood City Brass & Electric Co., Johnstown, Pa.

Application May 31, 1956, Serial No. 588,424

2 Claims. (Cl. 103-413) This invention relates to an automatic pumping system and, more particularly, to an automatic priming valve and system for making a pumping system fully automatic and more reliable in operation than heretofore.

Automatic pumping systems are known in the art and have been used, but without altogether satisfactory results, particularly because of recurrent faulty operation as well as expensive construction and maintenance of rather numerous and complicated parts usually required in known types of automatic pumping systems. A common method of priming a pump has been to exhaust the air from the pump by the means of a vacuum pump. However, this has certain outstanding disadvantages-for example the slightest leak in the main pump or its connections will prevent the vacuum system from operating.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of common types of automatic pumping systems, and to provide an automatic pumping system involving relatively few and simple parts which are comparatively inexpensive to construct, operate and maintain and which provide highly reliable and substantially foolproof operation irrespective of the occurrence of certain faults in the starting operation of the Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pumping system, particularly useful for centrifugal pumps, and including an automatic priming valve and a priming pump for priming the main pump by forcing water into the main pump under pressure rather than by exhausting air from it with a vacuum pump, as conventionally done.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a front, elevational view, partly in cross section, of an automatic pumping system embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic or wiring diagram of the electrical system embodied in the pumping system shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of the priming valve 4 shown in Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1 of the drawing, numeral 1 denotes a container or sump which contains water, the level of which varies. Immersed in the sump is a foot valve 2 located at the inlet of a main pump 3, for example, a centrifugal pump, having mounted thereon a priming valve 4 for operating a priming switch 5, such as a mercury switch, for controlling a priming pump 11. The main pump 3 pumps water through a discharge pipe 6 to a hydraulic system of any suitable kind, not shown. Within the discharge pipe 6 is a gravity operated check valve 7 which is closed by the pressure of the water in the discharge pipe 6 when there is no flow, and in case of a leak or other condition that causes the pump 3 to cease pumping and the water flow to stop, valve 7 will operate a check valve switch and the contacts 8 to shut down the pump. Pipe 12 immersed in the sump serves 2. as an inlet pipe to priming pump 11, whereby water is pumped directly into the inlet of the main pump 3 by pipe connection 12a.

Figure 3 shows more clearly the construction of the priming valve 4 shown in Figure 1. In priming, air can easily pass through the openings 4a formed in the piston element 4b, thence along the outer surface of the stem 40, discharging through the overflow and air outlet pipe 9 into the sump. However, when the priming. pump 11 delivers water to valve 4, openings 4a, being rather small, will not permit the water to go through, therefore pressure will be built up on the bottom of piston 4b, causing the stem 40, rigidly connected-thereto, to move upwardly againstthe action of ,the helically spiral spring 4d so as to tilt mercury switch 5, thereby closing an energizing circuit to the main motor for driving pump 3. Piston 4b is adjustable to operate at different pressures to assure that all of the air is exhausted from the pump before the piston moves. The rate of exhaustion of the air and the pressure at which piston 4b is to be adjusted depend entirely on the rate of flow of the priming pump or on the valve.

In operation, when the water in sump 1 reaches a predetermined level, the float switch 10 (see Figure 2) will close, thus completing a circuit through the priming pump starter coil 13 and causing the priming pump to start. The priming pump will pump water through pipe 12 into the main pump 3 and will fill the main pump and the main pump piping, from the foot valve 2 to the check valve 7, thereby expelling all the air through the priming valve. When water is introduced into the priming valve, this will cause the closing of the small ports 4a, thereby the building of suflicient pressure to raise the piston 4b and stem 40 against the action of the spring 4d and tilting of the mercury switch 5 so as to close the circuit through the main pump starter coil 14 to effect starting of the main pump 3.

An interlock 15 on the main pump starter will seal around the priming valve switch 5, that is, will shunt valve switch 5, so that any pressure fluctuations will not affect the operation. If, for any reason, the pump should fail to deliver water, while operating, the check valve switch 8 will open and shut it down. Then the entire priming cycle, as described above, will be repeated. Since it will take the pump about 15 seconds after starting to close the check valve switch 8, a timing relay 16 may be provided whose contacts shunt out those of the check valve switch. Timing relay 16 will open, preferably in approximately 30 seconds, or any other desired time. Another timing relay 17 may also be provided to lock out the-entire system and, if desired, to sound an alarm (not shown) should the pump not be delivering water within, say, 6 minutes after the float switch 11 operates.

In cases wherein the pump 3 can be primed from the discharge line through a solenoid valve, the same system and equipment can be used, simply by the mere substitution of such solenoid valve for the priming pump starter 13, in which case no priming pump is used.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an efiicient and highly reliable automatic pumping system, particularly for a centrifugal pump, which includes a priming system for pumping water into a centrifugal pump, instead of exhausting air therefrom, therefore which is not subject to recurrent breakdown or faulty operation because of slight leakage in the main pump or its connections; furthermore I have provided an automatic pumping system which involves relatively few and inexpensive parts and which requires a minimum of maintenance and provides a maximum of fully automatic, substantially faultless, and highly reliable operation, greatly exceeding the reliability of conventional automatic pumping systems.

While I have illustrated and described an embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of my invention and Within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An automatic pumping system for discharging liquid from a sump, comprising a centrifugal pump having an inlet pipe connected to said sump and having two discharge outlet pipes, one of which emerges from the top portion of said pump and discharges into said sump, said 10 one pipe containing a perforated piston through which air normally flows without moving the piston but which is moved by flow of water, electrical switching means responsive to movement of said piston to effect starting of said pump, and a priming pump responsive to attainment of a predetermined level of the liquid in said sump for initiating starting of said priming pump.

2. An automatic pumping system as recited in claim 1 4 together with a check valve in the other of said discharge outlet pipes which is maintained closed during priming of said centrifugal pump by said priming pump and which is opened after predetermined operation of said centrifugal pump.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 763,741 Ellis June 28, 1904 966,423 Blaubelt Aug. 9, 1910 1,488,449 Burkhardt Mar. 25, 1924 1,982,841 Tamini Dec. 4, 1934 2,275,500 Broadhurst Mar. 10, 1942 2,275,502 Broadhurst Mar. 10, 1942 2,440,980 Sheppard May 4, 1948 2,472,802 Bentley June 14, 1949 2,683,420 Hill et al July 13, 1954 

